Artwork copyright Alfredo Jaar. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Alfredo Jaar. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Alfredo Jaar. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Alfredo Jaar. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Alfredo Jaar. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Alfredo Jaar. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Alfredo Jaar. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Alfredo Jaar. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Alfredo Jaar. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Shelter (please close your eyes), 1996

Alfredo Jaar
Chilean (born 1956)

Location: University of Washington, Seattle

About the Artwork

Shelter (please close your eyes) by artist Alfredo Jaar is a series of text-based images that refer to photo images while pointing to their absence. Jaar notes, "This project tries a reverse strategy of presenting an absence in order to trigger a presence. By only describing the image that we failed to see, by going back to basics, words, meaning, I hope to establish contact with the intellect of the audience and point to certain issues." Jaar's images were temporarily installed in six lightboxes at the bus stop outside of the UW School of Art. This artwork was part of a group of rotating installations on the University of Washington campus. The artists were selected in a competitive process to create images for existing lightboxes at bus stops outside of the UW's School of Art and Meany Hall. The images were reproduced as large-scale transparencies to fit the lightboxes. The bus stops featured the artworks for several months.

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with University of Washington.

About the Artist

Alfredo Jaar is a New York City-based conceptual artist, architect, and filmmaker. His installation and performance-based interventions focus on social and political issues. He was born in Chile, South America. His artworks are collected by international museums, including the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York City and the Tate Modern museum in London, England.